ABSTRACT: This paper presents an overview of the informal Transparency Project, a
comprehensive study of the Federal Trade Commission's merger files that
grew out of the 2004 data release. Analysis is presented for market
definition, structure, competitive effects, entry, and efficiencies.
Most of the papers follow the same basic structure; they introduce an
issue related to the Merger Guidelines, review the files and generalize
from the results. Commission staff appears to apply a wide range of
models to evaluate mergers. Of particular interest are the innovations
in merger analysis, including, but not limited too, the concept of a
significant competitor, the use of evidence to test structural models
and the application of Net Present Value to entry analysis.